Matt Yglesias

19 Responses to “DC’s Super Election”

1. MosBen Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 11:34 am

   I voted for the Atom because i like wonkish politicos and lost causes. Ain’t no way he’s pulling this out against the spideys and supermen of the world.

2. Clark Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 12:02 pm

   Hm. Just yesterday, didn’t MY say…

   “a single blogger probably shouldn’t be doing posts about Star Trek . . . from here on out this blog will only address cool topics.”

   So Star Trek is nerdy, but the GLC is cool?

3. chris Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 12:07 pm

   How can you vote for Green Lantern when his foreign policy has been such a disaster?

4. Torn Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 12:21 pm

   Green Lantern is only pro-green jobs in talk. when it comes to actual issues, he shows how green-wash he really is. Read David Alpert’s post on Greater Greater Washington yesterday .

   Vote Wonder Woman

5. ajw_93 Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 12:45 pm

   @Torn, I did!

   Also, I am completely addicted to those true-crime shows on the ID network. #lassooftruth

6. Vulger Keynesian Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

   Lantern? Please…

   Green Arrow was the hero of the working class, urban voters. Let us not forget this moment:

7. Vulger Keynsian Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 12:56 pm

   Let’s try that again: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6f/GLGA76BS.jpg

8. Devo Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 1:07 pm

   What about Batgirl? She’s putting full Congressional representation for DC first and foremost. I can’t think of another single policy proposal that would have a bigger long-term impact (filtering right down to pursuing Green projects and education).

9. alkali Says:
   July 10th, 2009 at 1:08 pm

   Given the demographics of DC, I think it might have made more sense to run John Stewart than Kyle Rayner, but all members of the Corps share a similar commitment to justice.

   The Green Lanterns don’t see color. Well, except green. And yellow. Come to think of it, let’s just forget I said anything.

10. Sahar Massachi Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 1:24 pm

    Hey, thanks for the endorsement, Matt.

    A vote for Green Lantern is a vote for Green Jobs.
    A vote for Green Lantern is a vote against nuisances like Marion Barry.
    A vote for Green Lantern is a vote for kicking ass and taking names.

    Vote here today: http://www.neworganizing.com/superherovote

11. Njorl Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    I really don’t think any superhero is fit to be a mayor. Supervillains, on the otherhand, routinely run large organizations. These organizations have a very wide array of functions – analagous to policing, budgeting and various public works projects, like carving a giant skull into a mountain.

    We need someone with executive experience. Kingpin would be a good choice. He has the capacity to go legit if he wants to. He seems to be fond oh his wife, so she could be used as leverage to keep him honest. Put her in the custody of the city council. That’s where the superheroes should be. Put at least on “dark” superhero on the council so that any threat to whack her would be credible.

12. chris Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 3:31 pm

    @11: Batman has executive experience, although he’d have to reveal his secret identity to prove it. Not all superheroes are clock-punchers like Clark Kent or Peter Parker.

    Not on the same scale as Dr. Doom, though.

    Being on a team can be heroic, even leading a small team by example, but running a large organization requires placing yourself above others and bossing them around, an inherently unheroic act (although not necessarily *villainous* per se). This is carefully kept offstage in Batman continuities.

    This is why aside from Batman, most gadgeteers are garage-business types with few or no subordinates like Reed Richards (even when the resources available to them are wildly inconsistent with that idea).

    P.S. Does executive experience include exotic aristocrats like Wonder Woman and, in some continuities, Aquaman?

13. OSheaman Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 4:34 pm

    Great, Matt. Let’s elect a mayor who is weakened by the color YELLOW. That’ll certainly solve DC’s traffic and congestion problems =/

14. Just Dropping By Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 5:00 pm

    John Stewart also has the most executive experience of the current Sector 2814 Green Lanterns. He was put in charge of the Mosaic World by the Guardians and also later served as chief administrator for the Dark Stars.

15. bartkid Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    >Given the demographics of DC, I think it might have made more sense to run John Stewart

    Given the demographics of DC, it makes more sense to run Jon Stewart (y’know, of The Daily Show).

    Don’t blame me, I voted for Darkseid.

16. lackluster Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 5:27 pm

    I’m not certain where Superman and Wonder Woman stand, but most of the options on this list seem pretty lefty. Shouldn’t someone be representing right wing views? Hawkman? Maybe Black Adam, or The Punisher? (Hey, they’re tough on crime, and the Punisher has a distinguished military record).

    Regarding Green Lantern: OSheaman, your point is valid, but your info is out of date. GL no longer has any problem with yellow. Chris, I’d say the foreign policy of the GL corps is pretty realist, what with their choice to pursue isolation rather than conflict with Larfleeze and the Vega System. Seems generally in line with Matt’s views.

17. Richard Steven Hack Says:
    July 10th, 2009 at 11:08 pm

    Look, stupids, there’s only one guy who can run the US BECAUSE HE DID IT TWICE BEFORE! And that’s Doctor Doom!

    First he used the Purple Man to take over the US and even made the trains run on time before being screwed over by the Avengers.

    Then in 2099, he took over the US precisely to stop its corporate rampage against the rest of the world, Unfortunately that ended badly when the corporations unleashed hidden technology against him and ended his rule. However, he got back at the new rulers using nanotechnology.

    Doom is THE MAN!

18. Ian Says:
    July 11th, 2009 at 5:52 am

    re: supervillainocracy

    The efficient pursuit of an evil goal is worse than incompetence. I like trains that run on time, but I wouldn’t want to live in Mussolini’s Italy.

    Not all successful organisations are run as dictatorships. For an example of heroic leadership in comics, I couldn’t do better than Captain America (even speaking as a Canadian). Steve Rogers has* significant political power in Marvel America (it’s safe to assume he could get himself elected President in any year divisible by four just by asking for the job), and without needing to have a Purple Man in his back pocket to pull it off. His kind of leadership by persuasion and example is heroic.

    (* “Civil War?” Never heard of it.)

    ” Doctor Doom!…unfortunately that ended badly…”
    Shhh! He’ll hear you!

19. Just Dropping By Says:
    July 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am

    Shouldn’t someone be representing right wing views? Hawkman? Maybe Black Adam, or The Punisher?

    The Punisher is a Marvel character, so he’s presumably ineligible to hold public office in the DC universe.